AES Fonseca power station — El Salvador
Coal power plant in La Unión, El Salvador. Approximate location 13.336944, -87.843889.
CoalLa UniónEl Salvadorsubcritical
AES Fonseca power station is a 220 MW coal power station in La Unión, El Salvador. It is operated by AES El Salvador SA de CV [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 275k homes (estimated). It ranks #2 of 19 El Salvador power plants by installed capacity. In context, the national grid averages 139 gCO₂/kWh (86.5% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_aesfonseca_elsal.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of El Salvador coal capacity
- 59.5% of 370 MW across 2 plants in this dataset
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in El Salvador
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by AES El Salvador SA de CV [100%].
Climate zone & how it works
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 13.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #1 largest coal power plant of 2 in El Salvador by capacity.
El Salvador has 2 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 370 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- La Union · Solar · 10 MW · La Union
- El Carmen · Solar · 10 MW · La Union
- Pasaquina · Solar · 10 MW · La Union
- Enerbasa Nacaome II · Solar · 60 MW · Valle
- Valle Solar Park · Solar · 100 MW · Valle
- Pacific Solar · Solar · 63 MW · Valle
Location
Coordinates 13.336944, -87.843889 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is AES Fonseca power station?
AES Fonseca power station is a 220 MW coal power plant in La Unión, El Salvador.
Who operates AES Fonseca power station?
AES Fonseca power station is operated by AES El Salvador SA de CV [100%].